South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korea’s National Assembly has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his decision to impose a short-lived martial law on December 3, according to the country’s Yonhap news agency.

South Korea’s parliament reportedly passed the motion by 204 votes to 85, with three lawmakers abstaining and eight votes nullified.

Yoon will be suspended from his duties while the constitutional court decides whether he should be impeached or restored. The court has 180 days to make a ruling, per Yonhap.

In a statement following the impeachment vote, Yoon said he was “pausing momentarily.”

“I will never give up,” he said. “I will embrace all the censure, encouragement and support directed at me and do my best for the nation until the end.”

Videos showed thousands of people on the streets of Seoul celebrating news of the impeachment vote.

Yoon’s decision to implement martial law earlier this month led to widespread protests in the South Korean capital and calls for his resignation.

Yoon made the declaration in a televised address in which he spoke of “anti-state forces,” saying martial law was necessary to eliminate them and “normalize the country.”

He would reverse his decree six hours later after lawmakers voted to overturn it.

Yoon later apologized and survived a first impeachment vote last weekend, which members of his People Power Party boycotted.

His controversial move marked South Korea’s first order of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987.

Martial law was last declared in the country in 1979, following the assassination of President Park Chung Hee.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.